ISWAN joins search for missing Emerald Star crew

The Emerald
Star, which was carrying nickel ore from Indonesia to China with a crew of 26
Indian seafarers, sunk in the Philippines Sea in the early hours of the 13th
October 2017. 16 crew members were rescued but 10 remain missing, says a
release from ISWAN.

On 17th
November, Jun Pablo, ISWAN’s Regional Representative in the Philippines,
accompanied the Philippine Coast Guard on an aerial search over the islands of
Babuyan, Calayan, Dalupiri and Fuga with the hope of spotting any remains or
debris from the vessel.

Sadly, no
findings were made on this mission but the Philippine Coast Guard plans to
continue search efforts in order to achieve closure for the families of the
missing crew after this tragic incident. ISWAN’s Regional Director in India,
Chirag Bahri, is also coordinating with various stakeholders in the region to
provide humanitarian support to the families of the missing crew.